I was just about to fall asleep after a long day when I heard a frantic knock on my door. I jumped up, grabbing a robe and going to see who was outside my room before I could even finish putting it on. I tugged on the door handle as I shoved my hand through the other sleeve.

Alex had a wild look in his eyes, and I was surprised to see there were no guards posted outside my room. "Where are the. . ." I started, before the prince dove for my wrist and yanked me out the door.

"We don't have much time," he whispered, and I realized he had a medium sized white cardboard box in his other arm, holding it delicately, "Will you come with me?"

"Where?" I hissed, slipping my wrist out to clasp our hands together.

He looked down at them and then broke out into a smile. "Great!" he exclaimed and started pulling me through the hallways.

I recognized the route we were taking to the roof, and as we rounded a corner, we both slid to a halt when we noticed the guards at the other end of the corridor. I pulled Alexandre back, my reflexes faster than his as the two men turned their heads towards us. I looked around the hall, but then the prince whispered my name from behind a long drapery. I quietly padded over in my slippers to join him.

We heard the soldiers walking towards us. "We're going to cause them to sound some kind of alarm," I whispered harshly at him, pressing our bodies together in hopes they didn't see our shapes behind the curtain.

Alex had to drop his chin to his chest to look down at me. "I wouldn't mind another night with you in a bunker," he joked, giving me a foxy grin.

I snorted and then slapped a hand over my mouth to keep from laughing. I could see a blush creeping up his neck, and I put my other hand over his mouth to keep him from giving another snarky comment as the heavy armored boots passed right behind me.

"Was it one of the Elites?" one asked the other. Alex wrapped his arm around my waist, pressing himself closer to the wall, trying to take up as little space as possible.

"I believe it was. We'll do a sweep of the area, just in case," the other replied, disappearing down the hallway.

The prince and I stayed frozen, making sure they wouldn't see us before slinking out from behind the curtain. Alex grinned at me as he checked down the hallway before we continued our stealth mission to the service door.

"This is probably a security issue," I commented when I noticed that it wasn't guarded.

"Shh, don't give our spot away," he hushed me, opening the door slowly so it wouldn't make a lot of noise before motioning me in. Something in his statement caught my attention as I climbed the stairs.

Our spot.

I was so distracted by his comment that I was genuinely startled at the hulking mass waiting outside on the roof.

"Where did you get a tent?!" I hissed, turning to look at him incredulously.

He gently closed the door behind us. "The barracks have a surprising amount of cool stuff in them," he shrugged, placing a hand on the small of my back to push me forward.

"Imagine the scandal," I chastised, not moving, "Crown Prince and Elite die in a tent after being blown off a four-story building."

"It's tied down," he muttered, rolling his eyes and shooing me towards the tent entrance, "Come on, it's cold out here." It barely fit on the platform, but I couldn't do anything beside unzip it and crawl in on my knees. I only realized what a compromising position that was when I saw Alex completely red when he ducked down to join me.

Just as I settled down on one of the growing number of stolen dining chair cushions he kept up here, he placed the box between us and opened it.

"Is that an entire chocolate cake?" I laughed, furrowing my eyebrows as I looked up at him. It was a plain chocolate frosted cake, decorated on the rim with some kind of cookie crumble.

"Would you have preferred vanilla?" he asked, wincing.

"Wha-? No," I stammered, "I mean, where did you get this?"

"I stole it from the kitchens," he declared simply, seemingly proud of himself.

"Is that going to be a problem?" I questioned, squinting my eyes in suspicion.

He raised a finger at me and dug around in his suit jacket pocket. "It would have been a problem if I also hadn't stolen two forks and we had to eat it with our hands," he said matter-of-factly as he held up the silverware between us.

"Prince Alexandre," I hummed, plucking a fork out of his hand, "I'll make a thief of you yet." I leaned forward over the cake.

"You're the worst influence," he mused, lazily smirking at me as he closed the gap and kissed me gently. I sighed involuntarily, the stress and worry that plagued me constantly all day melting away with such a simple gesture.

I looked around and noticed he had planned for the cold, so I reached for the blanket that was stashed at the back of the tent. It smelled like him, and I realized he must have taken these from his bed. It was sweet gesture and filled me with a different type of warmth as I wrapped it around me. Alex flicked on a gas lantern, closing the gate on it so only a sliver of light illuminated the tent.

I was the first to dig my fork into the cake. "I thought I said no dates," I reprimanded playfully, watching him grab his forkful.

He raised it up and I toasted to him before taking a bite, licking the frosting off my lips as he said, "I warned you early on that I don't know how dating works. This isn't exactly popcorn and a movie."

"That doesn't define a date," I giggled, taking another bite, "it's just a planned meeting between two people who are in, or soon to be in, a romantic relationship."

His face lit up. "But we didn't plan it! So, it doesn't count," he declared.

I couldn't help but laugh. "You planned it, you nerd," I teased, tapping his arm.

"Well, I declare this a non-date then," he stated resolutely, "so you can't reprimand me for it."

"Is that a royal decree?" I joked, taking another bite and giving him a closed smile.

"I am royalty," he pointed out, giving me a hyperbolically haughty look before straightening and squaring his shoulders.

"Then tell me, your majesty," I teased, "What do you do on non-dates?"

He slouched forward, going for another piece. "Um, I didn't get much further than the cake," he replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck and grinning.

"Well, on a non-'non-date'," I told him, "you would normally get to know each other better, possibly through questions."

"I like that idea," he mused, "though I don't know what I would ask that I don't already know."

"Honestly? Pretty basic stuff," I pointed out, grabbing another forkful of cake, "Like, I don't know when your birthday is."

"You don't know the princes' birthday?" he asked incredulously, "It's a holiday."

I rolled my eyes at him. "My job doesn't really account for holidays," I drawled.

"May 20th," he answered after taking another bite, "When's yours?"

"You don't know your Elite's birthday?" I mocked, grinning at him when his eyebrows angled down in frustration, "May 31st, actually. That's why I just barely made the draft."

"I should make it a national holiday," he smirked, pausing to look down at the cake before saying, "What's your favorite color?"

"Green," I announced, leaning back on my arm and looking at him expectantly, "and you?"

He placed his hand next to mine, putting our faces close together. "What would you call the color of your eyes?" he asked with a beautiful grin.

I nearly choked on my cake. "Oh, my goodness, Alex," I muttered, placing my hand in front of my face to hide my embarrassment as I sat back up.

He brushed my hair over my shoulder, his voice close as he whispered, "or the color you blush when you're embarrassed."

"Stop," I whined, not used to getting such compliments.

He gently placed his hand on my wrist, coxing me to pull it away from my face. He wasn't smiling anymore, his face suddenly serious. "I love you, Atlas," he breathed, studying my expression, "I could say it with every breath, and it wouldn't even come close to describing how much I care for you."

I pulled my knees up to my chest, wrapping my arms around them and resting my cheek on a knee to stare at him sideways. "Where have you been all my life?" I mused, admiring the curve of his lips as they pulled back in a smirk.

"On the Capital Report," he pointed out sarcastically.

"I should have paid more attention to it," I shrugged, chuckling, "it would have probably saved me a lot of heart ache if I had realized sooner that I was in love with one of the princes."

"As long as it wasn't the red haired one," he joked, rolling his eyes, "He was an asshole." He said it lightly, but I saw his face fall and there was a distant look growing in his eyes. I could see how genuinely guilty he was about the beginning of our relationship

"I forgive you," I told him seriously, placing my fork into the box next to his and closing it, pushing it to the foot of the tent.

"You shouldn't," he mumbled as I shuffled closer to him.

"Hush," I quieted him, wrapping my arm around Alex's back and offering him part of the blanket, "You weren't exactly brought up in the best environment. I'm just glad you're here now, exactly as you are."

He slid his arm around my back, tugging at his side of the blanket to pull it over his shoulder. He turned his head, our faces only inches apart. "I'm glad you're here too," he whispered, his breath on my lips sweet from the cake, "You're like. . . all the best parts of looking at the sun without the pain. There's a life you breath into me."

I threw my arms around him, knocking us both over and giggling. "Are you trying to get me to marry you tonight with those kinds of compliments?" I laughed, positioning myself into his arms and propping myself up on his chest as he pulled another blanket over us, "because you're getting dangerously close, Alexandre."

"I wouldn't complain," he mumbled, placing his free arm under his head so he could look at me better, "I mean, we already have the cake."

"Wedding cakes are white," I pointed out, giving him a soft smile.

"I knew I should have stolen the vanilla instead," he commented jadedly, looking off to the side. He couldn't hold his annoyed expression long, breaking into a grin.

I watched Alex, his face thrown into shadow because of the low light. He looked calm and relaxed, like he was completely happy and content in this one moment. After I didn't say anything, his eyebrows furrowed, and he studied my face. He could tell I was deep in thought, so he stayed silent.

"I'm sorry I'm pushing so hard against you," I told him earnestly, "I just don't want to get my hopes up."

"I recognize that," he muttered, bringing a hand up to brush my hair behind my ear, "I just want to hold onto that hope, even if it means being disappointed in the end."

"I would give you everything if I could, Alex," I stressed, pressing on his chest with my hand, "I swear."

"I don't want everything," he mused, keeping a lazy smile on his face, "I just want you."

I felt a blush creeping up my neck and onto my cheeks again. I chased away all the thoughts of the outside world and our troubles, letting myself fully enjoy this moment without worry. I was tired of talking about heavy, sad topics, and I wasn't going to ruin our date because of it.

I pushed myself up, sitting back on my heels for a moment before swinging a leg over him. I straddled his lap, running my hand up his chest to lean over and kiss him passionately. It was cold outside the blanket, but the euphoric feeling that flooded me from the sensation of his lips on mine was a warmth that spread through me. The hard muscle I could feel under his t-shirt caused a twisting motion that tangled in my core.

I straightened, keeping my hands gently connected to his stomach. He brought his arms, running his palms up my half-blanketed thighs, resting on my hips. His eyes traveled down my body, stopping at my waist.

"What's this one from?" the prince asked, softly grabbing my wrist and running a thumb across the white, crescent shaped scar on the inside of it.

"Chain-linked fence, I think?" I answered, turning it up to look at it, "Why?"

He shrugged, shaking his head. "No particular reason," he admitted, keeping his eyes on the scar, "I like the stories your skin tells. They remind me of the constellations you can see up here on a clear night."

"Are you trying to make me feel better that I don't look like the other Elites with their perfect skin?" I joked, my eyes leaving him and traveling around the tent nervously. I didn't romanticize my scars like that, they were just imperfections to remind me that I didn't belong in this clean, flawless place.

He didn't have any witty replies. "I'm glad you're here, exactly as you are," he repeated quietly, running his hand up my arm.

"I have other. . . impressive ones I should warn you about," I muttered, still trying to be humorous about it to hide the insecurities I held. I loosened the ribbon of my robe, taking it off my shoulders and letting it pool around my waist. Alex took his hands away as I found the hem of my shirt and pulled it up to show my stomach.

"I was running from a guy I had borrowed money from and couldn't pay back," I explained it, looking down at the angry, red scar that traveled up from my hip to disappear under the shirt, "Broke a window in an old factory to try and escape, but I didn't clear the glass away enough and earned this one. I nearly gutted myself that day." I gave a huff of a chuckle.

Alex's face was passive, and I was uncomfortable with his lack of reaction. I was going to lower my shirt when he reached over to where it started and ran his fingers up it. It was jagged and he had to twist and turn to follow it, moving up my body.

kept my eyes trained on the prince, watching his gaze as he followed his hand. My heart rate increased as he nearly reached the place where my shirt was bunched up. I From everything I've done, I shouldn't be so nervous, but with him it felt like it was all new to me too. The scar ended between my breasts, and I made the decision to cross my arm over my chest to pull my shirt all the way off.

My hair was brushed away and fell down my back, leaving me completely exposed. Bumps raised on my skin from the cold, but also from Alex's hand as it reached the end of my scar. He lowered it, but it stayed paused in the air.

"I thought you said no sex," he whispered, swallowing hard.

"All intimacy doesn't have to end with that," I told him quietly, resisting the urge to cross my arms over my chest. I kept them resting on my thighs, holding my arms close to my body to stay warm.

No one had ever looked at me like Alex did in that moment.

It didn't seem like it was just the new experience for him; I felt like he was looking at me completely, not just seeing my body. I took a shaky breath, never expecting the intense emotions to come from such a small, simple action of just taking my shirt off. There was so much love in that one look, it took my breath away.

Alexandre seemed to notice a shiver that went down my spine. He curled up, reaching behind me to pull the blanket up and resting it on my shoulders. I was grateful for the protection against the cold as it tented around me, keeping me open to the prince but protecting my back.

He kept his eyes on mine, and as he was about to lay back down he paused for a moment. Without a word he slid his hands around my waist to hold my back as he sat up fully, positioning me so he could straighten and sit comfortably. He didn't wince as his fingers traveled over the ridges of my scars, no hesitation.

I raised my hands to place them on his shoulders, but he let me go and reached an arm over his back to grip the fabric of his shirt. Pulling it off in one fluid motion, his hands were back on my waist in a moment. Sliding up my ribs, our chests pressed together, and he closed the gap to kiss me.

Seeing him again reminded me of that late night in my room. I remembered how hard I wanted to reach out and touch him, and now he was here in front of me. He was all mine.

We both threaded our arms around the other, squeezing each other so that we were as close as we could get. Our lips only broke apart to take a gasping breath before returning to each other.

Alex's hands gripped the back of my thighs, effortlessly pulling me further into his lap so that our stomachs touched. Every place we were connected was alight with a fiery heat that juxtaposed with the cold air around us to create an intense, complex sensation. The reaction my body had to his was dizzying.

Alex seemed to be feeling the same type of euphoria, because he stopped kissing me to laugh. "I love you," he mused, his voice filled with mirth, "I love every inch of you." My stomach dipped as he ran his hands up and down my back, drawing one across the length of my lower back at the elastic boarder of my pajamas.

I felt small in his arms, and his back was an expanse that begged to be explored. My hands followed the contours of his muscles, my heart skipping a beat every time I felt them relaxing and flexing with his movements. His body was perfect, even with the scars I could feel across his back. They weren't a distracting imperfection; they were a part of Alex, and I loved him.

Nothing else mattered beside the connection we shared. This is what real love was, and I had finally found it.